Cerastium TetRandrum. Tetrandrous Cerastium, 
or Mouse-Ear Chickweed. 
CERASTIUM. Linn . Gerr . PI . Decandria Pentagynia. 
CM 5-phylks. -Petala 2-fida, Caff. i-loculans apice dehifcens. 
Pali Syri. Herbas pentapetal/e vascdliferie. 
CERASTIUM utranlnm caule diffufo dichotcmo, floribus plerifque tetrandris, capfula calycem vix 
fuperante. _ 
SAGINA ceraJIA, caule diffufo dichotomo, foliis fpatulatis obovatifve recurvis, pedunculis Fru . ens 
* n • o ' i i . ctv.th/ 1 run Snr . * 11 . 2. v . 34.T 
RADIX annua, fibrofa. 
CAULES plures, palmaris et ultra, diftafi, teretes, 
villofi, fubvifeidi, purpurafeentes, dichotomi, 
ramofifTimi. 
FOLIA oppofita, feffilia, fubconnata, patenti-recur- 
vata, integerrima, hirfutula, fubtus pallidiora 
et minus hirfuta, inferiora ovato-lanceolata, ad 
bafin angufliora, fuperiora ovata, acuta. 
FLORES tetrandri et pentandri in eadem planta, 
plerique vero tetrandri, folitarii, e dichotomia v 
caulis, pedunculati. ( 
PEDUNCULI filiformes, vifeidi, ad bafin tumidi, polt ( 
llorefcentiam reflexi, maturato femine lub- | 
ere£li. . . 
CALYX: Perianthium 4-5 phyllum, perbitens, fo- 
liolis lanceolatis, acuminatis, hirfutuhs, vif- 
cidis, duobus paulo anguftioribus, margine 
membranaceis, Jig. 1. 
COROLLA Petala 4-5, calyce breviora, alba, niti- 
dula, unguibus flavelcentibus, flriata, bifida, 
lobis retiis, acutiufculis, Jig. 2. 
STAMINA: Filamenta 4-5, fubulata, alba, longi- 
tudine llylorum ; An t h e r .e lutefcentes,^. 3. 
PISTILLUM: Germen turbinatum, laeve, virefeens ; 
Styli 4-5, eredi, albi, villofuli ; Stigmata 
obtufa, jig. 4. T' - . 
PERICARPIUM: Capsula oblonga, calyce paulo 
longior, 8-10 dentata, 7%-. 5, 6. 
SEMINA plurima, minuta, fufea, Jig. 7, 8. 
1 ROOT annual, and fibrous. 
1 STALKS numerous, about fix inches in length, lpread- 
i jno- on the ground, round, vidous, with lome 
1 vifeidity, purplilh, dichotomous, and very- 
much branched. 
, LEAVES oppofite, feflile, fomewhat connate, jpread- 
ing, bending back, perfedly entue, flightly 
hirfute, paler, and lefs hairy on the under 
fide, the lowermoft ovato-lanceolate, the 
uppermofl ovate, and pointed. 
’ FLOWERS tetrandrous and pentrandrous in the fame 
plant, but moftly tetrandrous, folitary, from 
, • the fork of the ftalk, on peduncles. 
PEDUNCLES filiform, vifeid, tumid at thebafe, when 
the flowering is over bent back, when the 
feed is ripened becoming upright. 
CALYX: a Perianthium of four or five leaves, 
continuing, leaves lanceolate, acuminate, 
flightly hirfiite, vifeid, membranous on the 
edge, two of them fomewhat narrower than 
the others, fig. 1. 
.COROLLA: Petals four or five, fhorter than the 
calyx, white, a little gloffy, claws yellowifh, 
flriated, bifid, the lobes flraight, a little 
, pointed, Jig. 2. 
j STAMINA : Filaments four or five, Tubulate, white, 
the length of the flyles; Anthers yellowifh, 
4 fs- 3 - 
4 lomewnat vinous ; jtigma 1 a uium, 4- 
^ SEED-VESSEL : an oblong Capsule, a little longer 
^ than the calyx, having eight or ten teeth, 
Q. Jig. 5, 6 . 
§ SEEDS numerous, minute, and brown, fig. 7, 8. 
As the prefent plant, in its general habit and flru&ure, fo obvioufly proclaims itfelf to be a Cerafiium, we were 
furprifed to find that the Prefident of the Linnsan Society had regarded it as a Sagina, a genus to which it has 
very little affinity, except in the number of its petals, flamina, and flyles; fuppofing it to be always found, as 
he aliens it is to be, with floribus quadrifidis, or, as would have been perhaps more fcientifically exprefled, floribus 
te traps talis ; but admitting the fa£t to be fo, which it is not in reality, a difference merely in the number of its 
parts furely would not make it the lefs a Cerafiium; if it would, the femidecandrum and pumilum, already figured 
in this work, would not be fuch, as they have only half their proper number of flamina : that the fpecimens 
which Dr. Smith examined were all tetrandrous we readily believe, and have no doubt but we fliall obtain 
equal credit when we -affert, that in the living plant from whence our drawing was made, nearly the fourth part 
ol the flowers were pentandrous ; in the form and flrufture of the feed-veffel, a part which forms the linking 
character of a Cerafiium, vid. Gcertner, our plant is not deficient, and the feeds (when magnified) correfpond 
in form with all the others of the genus, vid. fig. 8. 
The flowers of this plant expand, as the influence of the fun is more or lefs powerful, without any regard to 
the particular time of the day ;■ after they have been prevented from opening by a wet cloudy day, we have 
leer, them expand partially on the. fun’s fhining on them fo late as feven in the evening : its peduncles, as in 
Aljine, ’Holo/rea, and fome others of the Cerafiiums, bend back when the flowering is over, and become ere£t 
as «t he feed ripens. 
Befides. the difference in the number of its flamina, this plant differs from femidecandrum and pumilum, in - 
being much larger, and more procumbent ; in the latter chara£ler it differs wholly from vifeofum, to which it 
has lome affinity, in the breadth of its foliage ; the mouth of the capfule opens ufually with eight teeth, the 
flower, which has five petals, is found with ten ; thofe teeth, when magnified, appear fomewhax truncated, and 
their edges turn back, vid. fig. 6 - 
Mr. Dickson, the fortunate difeoverer of Cerafiiums, found this plant growing abundantly on the Ifland of 
Inch-Keiih in the Firth of Forth, and on the fea-ffiore below Preflon-Pans ; it is not likely that this fpecies, or 
the pumilum, fhould be confined within the narrow limits of growth which we at prefent aflign them ; as the 
feveral fpecies are more minutely attended to, they will (we may venture to predi£l) be foundb aundantly 
elfewhere. 
It flowers in May and June, and grows readily from feeds, which fhould be fown in Autumn. 
